Skip to main content
Guidance

Planning appeals: procedural guide - for appeals relating to applications dated on or before 31 March 2026

The responsibilities of each party and the roles they have in the planning appeal process.

Updates to this page

From:
Planning Inspectorate
Published:
6 April 2015
Last updated:
16 July 2026
Show all updates

  1. Section 3.4.1 rewrite

  2. The guide has been updated to reflect that discontinuance notice appeals cannot be submitted online.

  3. Updated to include a link to the new procedural guide for applications submitted on or after 1 April 2026. Minor tweaks have also been made so that the advice not affected by the expansion of the Part 1 written representations procedure is consistent across versions.

  4. New section: 1.3. This guidance only applies to appeals in relation to applications submitted on or before 01/04/2026. For guidance on appeals made in relation to applications dated on or after 01/04/2026, please see Planning appeals: procedural guide. For appeals relating to applications dated on or after 1 April 2026.

  5. The guide has been updated to reflect that some of the How to guides will be going offline shortly. The search facility links have been updated to point to the Managed Appeal Service. Information on landowner requirements has been added. The section on the appellant’s statement of case (section 12.2.3) has been expanded, and the inquiry timetables have been amended so that the timing of the press notice is now in line with the Inquiry Rules.

  6. Updated to reflect the reinstatement of all the “How to complete” guides.

  7. These have been revised to reflect PINS’ new postal address and, where applicable, include:- • updated links to the Planning Aid website • Customer service team no longer sending out paper appeal forms for some appeal types on 1st December • any references to the relevant “How to Complete” guides, which are scheduled for archiving

  8. guidance has been updated : An additional sentence has been added to inform parties that until further notice planning appeals going by the written representations procedure will not be linked to an enforcement or a lawful development certificate appeal, unless in exceptional case-specific circumstances. - as of 25 June 2025.

  9. guidance updated June 2025

  10. Paragraph 12.1.3 has been expanded to allow an opportunity under strict circumstances for appellants to submit further representations.

  11. Guide updated to make it clearer that if submitting a paper appeal form, we must receive the completed appeal form and the essential supporting documents before the appeal deadline

  12. Guide updated to include a reference to the new AI guide.

  13. The guide has been updated to make it clearer that we must receive the appeal and supporting documents within the appeal deadline.

  14. • Take account of the changes to enforcement brought in by the LURA • Replace the customer email address with the customer form • Replace ‘DLUHC’ with ‘MHCLG’

  15. The guide has been updated to clarify our latest position on late representations and to minimise amendments made to a proposal at the appeal stage.

  16. The guide has been updated to make it clearer that interested parties should submit their representations using our online search facility.

  17. The guide has been updated to reflect that all designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England and Wales are now known as “National Landscapes” and to correct the link to the ‘Communicating electronically with us’ guide.

  18. The Planning Procedural Guide has been updated to reflect the Holborn judgement regarding amendments to the proposed scheme at appeal.

  19. 5.1 updated with new link

  20. This has been updated to reflect our use of Appeal Planning Officers.

  21. Updates were made as part of work to simplify and streamline appeals guidance.

  22. Virtual events information updated

  23. Customer Form: Customer services and general enquiries link added

  24. E.2 Setting the date of the hearing and appendix E1 updated with new timings.

  25. Planning procedure guide: Clarifications around s319A and changes in the way we request documents. Also, an email address has been provided for pre-submission notification in cases where the appellant will request an inquiry.

  26. MHCLG changed to DLUHC

  27. Appendices F.1., F.2. and G.1. of the Planning appeals – Procedural Guide have been updated to reflect that there is nothing to preclude interested specific interested parties attending a Case Management Call if the Inspector thinks it would be helpful.

  28. Booklet updated with links to the Planning Inspectorate new Privacy Policy

  29. Paragraph 3.3. has been amended following changes to the Community Infrastructure Levy Regs. Annexe N was amended at the beginning of this year but para.3.3 was overlooked.

  30. The duplicate sentences have since been removed from page 73.

  31. The guide has been updated to reflect:- New legislation to allow PINS/the Inspector to decide (on behalf of the SoS) whether a ‘combined procedure’ may be appropriate; The introduction of appeals to allow for amendments to construction hours and to enable certain planning permissions and listed building consents in England which have lapsed or are due to lapse during 2020 to be extended; and Annexe L dealing with the procedural choice for redeterminations has also been altered.

  32. The complaints procedure published at Annexe Q has been removed and the new complaints procedure is now available online.

  33. Annexe P has amended following recent legal advice that Costs decisions are not correctable under the Slip Rule.

  34. Annexe N of the Procedural Guide has been updated following the revocation of regulation 123 of the CIL Regulations 2010.

  35. It has been updated to include references to Rule 6 parties at App F1 and G1, and a new paragraph F.9.3. Paragraphs F.31, App F.1 and App F.2 have also been amended from 10 days to 10 working days.

  36. Paragraph J.3.2 has been amended to say “must” rather than “should” bringing it into line with the advice given in paragraph J.2.3. It should now read: • must not include any personal or otherwise sensitive information

  37. Updated to take account of new process for statement of case submissions and statement of common ground.

  38. Advice on filming and recording at hearings and inquiries at para’s 3.5.3 and 3.5.4 has been updated

  39. Paragraph 2.4.3 has been re-worded for the sake of clarification.

  40. Paragraphs C.9.7 and D.8.6 removed, to reflect a review of site visit procedures where the Inspector could previously view from a neighbouring property where this had not previously been arranged

  41. The changes are: • Section C.5 grounds of appeal – additional wording added to give the deadline for the submission of a planning obligation or unilateral undertaking for HAS appeals; • Technical details consent section 2.4 added; • Removal of the reference to 7 working days from section 2.7.4 • Changing references from DCLG to MHCLG

  42. The guide has been updated to reflect legislative changes - see page 1 of the guide for further information.

  43. This document contains revised guidance on: Additional information which may be required by the Inspectorate, to be submitted with the appellant’s full statement of case, and the Local Planning Authority’s full statement of case (where it has not been provided with the appeal questionnaire) for appeals concerned with: use of land for the stationing of caravans for occupation by Gypsies or Travellers; removal of an agricultural occupancy condition attached to an earlier permission; the erection of a dwelling for an agricultural or, where applicable, other type of rural worker; and telecommunications installations.

  44. On 23 March 2016 the Planning Inspectorate published revised versions of its four procedural guides on Planning Appeals, Called-in Planning Applications, Enforcement Notice Appeals and Lawful Development Certificate Appeals. Each document highlights important changes.

  45. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Procedural Guide: Planning appeals – England. For appeals relating to applications dated on or before 31 March 2026.

HTML

Details

This guide applies to:

  • planning appeals
  • householder development appeals
  • minor commercial appeals
  • listed building appeals
  • advertisement appeals
  • discontinuance notice appeals

It includes details about:

  • responsibilities of the appellant, the local planning authority and other parties
  • who decides an appeal?
  • what will the Inspector take into account?
  • what are the procedures?
  • can a proposed scheme be amended?
  • where will the decision be published?

Sign up for emails or print this page